Smooth as silk, Mark! Beautiful layout, too!
Mark, what a great accomplishment!!! I hope you enjoy this day. It brought a smile to my face. I could almost hear and feel the thunder echoing off the mountains. Keep up the fantastic work my friend!!
Michael
Thank you, John, Mike, Dave, Charlie, Artie!!
John, someday you need to come down and see it.
Mike, I had the remote set at 12 scale mph. I never liked running trains very fast and with the curves and grades speed is a bit unnerving. You can always run a tourist train on any layout. I have the 6-car streamline set that the WMSR uses and a 4-car set of heavyweights. I can use the #734 on pulling the streamliners or the GP30 #501 in red-white-black the WMSR uses when the #734 needs work like most recently.
Dave, You are right looking back to the beginning there have been a lot of twists and turns getting to this point. Just like mountain railroading.
Charlie, Thank you. My #821 was the best of the three before I got the #734. Everything ran perfectly all the time. The #830 sometimes has intermittent sound when running by itself and the headlight has an intermittent connection I thought I had fixed. The sound works on the lashup all the time so far. The #844 is actually an Erie engine that someone did a nice repaint, except he didn't put the engine number on the back of the tender.
Artie, That smoothness took some doing over time. The last thing I did was replace track on one of the approaches to each bridge. Now to tackle quirks on two of the sidings.
Love it. I think the videos are my favorite pet of this whole hobby. Love how the out of sync sounds came through on the video at certain times. Sounded great.
Thank you Michael and David!
Yes I'm very pleased with it. I'm glad you could hear the out of sync engines in the video!
Woo Hoo!!!! Nicely done, Mark!!
George
Very nice video, Mark. You've done an awesome job.
Scott
Fantastic and congrats!
Loved the video!
Peter
@Mark Boyce posted:One thing with the lashup no matter which order I select, the last engine starts out smoking as soon as I start up. I have to turn it off with the remote. I don't run smoke in the house. Another thing, I can only get sound out of the middle and last engine, even thought all three have the sound on. Still I think the train sounds great with sound from the front and rear. It is really effective when standing in the center of the layout, but I think the videos are more effective standing in the doorway.
One thing you could try, after starting the lash-up, select the middle engine and go to the menu to where the sound volumes are and turn it up. I’ve seen where some engines do that, I’m not sure why. After turning off the smoke, if you hit the FSV button does it remember it for the next time?
Great video and great layout Mark! Congrats on the progress!
Mark, thanks for sharing video of your progress on the layout. I really enjoyed watching the triple steamer lash-up with the coal hoppers, they look amazing. Just out of curiosity when are you going to trim back the trees visible through the window so that they're 1/48 scale? 
Of course I'm kidding. Your layout is coming along great! Keep up the good work and thanks for the continued updates.
Thank you, George, Scott, Peter, rplst8, Bill, and Steve!
rplst8, Thank you for the ideas on how to fix some of the lashup issues. I will try those tomorrow. I'm planning to leave this train made up until I have worked out as many problems as I can.
Steve, I did have some limbs cut out of the big tree nearest the house last summer. One tree trimmer suggested just cutting it down, but my wife wanted to save it. I didn't check to see if any of the squirrels are eating off the corn feeders on that tree.
A few months back, someone suggested I make a scenic backdrop insert for that window when I want to photograph or take videos. I plan to do that when I finish painting the backdrop that is in the corner to the right of that window. I don't know why my in-laws had such a tiny window put in when they had the addition built, but smaller is better when it comes to a layout.
Great looking train, Mark.
Marvelous!
Both a satisfying symbol of having reached a goal AND a stimulation for getting to work on the next stages: very fitting.
Makes me want to run my own coal drag, but, Alas! I have to get ready to leave for work.
Awesome Mark
Another great milestone Mark. I also love the way the sound shifts as the locos pass the camera. I know you don't run smoke but it would be cool to see all three of them puffing away.
Keep up the good work!
Bob
Mark, Wow, I finally had an opportunity to watch your really cool video of the Double Header, and beautiful coal train helped out at the end with another pusher steamer and a neat caboose. Your layout has come a long way, 53 pages of planning and execution of those plans. Did you use Lionel’s legacy system or the DCS system? Your train ran flawlessly up and over the loops so smoothly, very interesting. It’s very impressive and knowing up front the size of your room, you have made great use of your space. It’s simply a Wow! By the way, I watched your other videos and enjoyed them all. Keep posting videos and pictures of your fantastic progress. Happy Railroading Everyone
@Mark Boyce posted:Thank you, John, Mike, Dave, Charlie, Artie!!
John, someday you need to come down and see it.
Hi Mark, I would love to see it in person!
Mark - nice job and love the way you put the consist together.
Thank you, Pat, Steve, Keith, Bob, Larry, John, Richie!
Yes, there are advantages to being retired, though I am going out now to clean all the wind blown junk off the driveway and patio now that it is finally calm. 
Bob, it would be good to see them all puffing smoke. Maybe I can open the sliding glass door, and window, and set up a fan to drive the smoke out for one video when Kim isn't here to know it. Bentley would probably find a way to tell her. 
Speaking of Bentley, I didn't blow the whistles on the video and chance him running down barking like crazy and spoil the effect. 
Larry, I used DCS. I can run my 4 Legacy engines with the TMCC controller also (I haven't bought a Legacy system yet). I have been able to set up the Legacy engines (you may have noticed a familiar engine over by the enginehouse) in TMCC mode on the DCS, but they won't start up. I have to look into that sometime too. It has been folks here contributing to me getting what I have shoehorned in the room, plus some trial and error while building.
John, We have to get Bentley checked out on visitors first. He is a 5 year-old rescue who came from a bad environment. Kim says it is like he has PTSD, but he is getting to be good with folks when he sees us welcoming them. He is coming around in just over 6 weeks since we got him.
Richie, I first saw photographs of what the Western Maryland did on this grade in the little Carstens book by Ross Grenard and John Krause. They would use one H9 to pull 10 loaded 55-ton hoppers. The photograph sequences shows a trains using up to 7 H9 engines. Wouldn't that be something on a large model railroad?
I need to add that the prototype's grade is listed at 3.1%. My grade is 4%.
That little Carstens book was what got me interested in the WM at the expense of the B&O, which I grew up on. Also, My maternal grandfather had fired B&O engines for probably 10 years before being permanently disabled in WWI.
Looks great Mark. I'll have to watch later on the big screen, but from what I saw, "Excellent!"
Congratulations Mark! Looks like it will be a lot of fun.
@rplst8 posted:One thing you could try, after starting the lash-up, select the middle engine and go to the menu to where the sound volumes are and turn it up. I’ve seen where some engines do that, I’m not sure why. After turning off the smoke, if you hit the FSV button does it remember it for the next time?
Both of those ideas worked!! I have sound on all three and no smoke from any of them on startup. Thank you very much!!!!
Great video Mark. Ain't nothing like full screen on the laptop to bring things into great perspective. It was hard on my phone, I didn't notice the cab hatches up when I watched at lunchtime.
@Mark Boyce posted:Both of those ideas worked!! I have sound on all three and no smoke from any of them on startup. Thank you very much!!!!
Sweet! Happy railroading!
@Dave NYC Hudson PRR K4 posted:Great video Mark. Ain't nothing like full screen on the laptop to bring things into great perspective. It was hard on my phone, I didn't notice the cab hatches up when I watched at lunchtime.
Thank you, Dave! I’m glad you saw it on a larger screen. I know, the phone doesn’t cut it. I don’t have a laptop, but an average sized flat screen on our desktop. Videos are outstanding on it.
Yes, those little details show up nicely!
Looks great Mark!! The layout and room look good. Nothing is better than seeing multiple steamers chugging away! Beautiful engines! Congrats
-Eric
Thank you, Eric!
Mark, Good to see the 734 back in action !!
Dan, Steve was a great guy to work with on the deal. Thank you for your help!!!!
Congratulations Mark! If you were a rock climber, this would be one of those times when you pause in your trek and take the opportunity to appreciate the view! Good for you! I do have a question for you. Did you customize the engines for double heading or did they come that way? If you did them yourself, did you document the project? Okay, that was more than one question. Oh well!
Thanks, Bob
Bob, Thank you very much! Actually I do know the feeling a rock climber feels after reaching the summit, and it is a good analogy. I did a little rock climbing in my mid 20s, that was in the early 1980s. I learned the basics of climbing as a team and rappelling here in Western Pennsylvania. There was no view there, since the climbing was in a deep gorge. I did one trip with the same leaders to Seneca Rock, West Virginia in '82. If you aren't familiar the rock face climbs to about 1000 feet above the valley floor. Once on top, it was exhilarating to be sure. I took some color slides, which I plan to digitize them someday. The coolest thing was a couple of Air Force fighter jets came down the valley flying below us. If memory serves, I was told they are out of Andrews Air Force Base, and they fly down one valley and up another on maneuvers. They did that when we lived in West Virginia in the mid '90s, but would fly a neighboring valley, so I only heard them, but never saw them.
Question 1a. I setup the 'Lashup' in the DCS handheld remote. You can add whatever engines in whatever order you want. With 2 similar engines they run really smoothly together without any extra work. If you tried lashing up engines that have different speed parameters, you would have to do some customizing that I wouldn't even attempt, but others here have done it I am sure.
Question 1b. So it is in the DCS manual how to do the basic lashup. Actually it is easy. Once the individual engines are in the remote, you select lashup. Then you select which engine you want in the front, middle, and end, or skip middle if you only want to lashup 2. Then you select a name for the lashup and when you save, it saves the lashup as an engine number to select from the list of other engines you have. You select that number, and hit Startup as with any engine, and the whole lashup starts and you run it as you would a single engine. If you have DCS, and want to see it in their documentation, I can look up where you can look.
One question, two parts. Just like high school and college.
Mark, I guess rock climbing must run in the blood of those residing in Western PA. My college roommate lived Monroeville near Pittsburgh and got me into backpacking and climbing. He even dragged me to the Tetons after we graduated. We were those guys you saw hitching on the side of the road - you know, things you wouldn’t dream of having your kids do these days. Sure sounds like you have had some great adventures and the thoughts of fighter jets zipping by below you is exciting - would have made for some great video.
Now I must apologize profusely for asking you a poorly worded set of questions. I have several MTH steamers but none of them have working couplers on the front of the engine. Two of your engines in the video do have couplers and so my questions were intended to find out if you bought them that way or if you added the couplers yourself.
Thank you for taking the time to send me an extended set of instructions. They were both helpful and instructive. And again, my apologies. Oh yes, I did take some photos too when I was climbing but wish I had taken many more. I need to digitize those as well!
Bob
Bob, I thought you must know about rock climbing. Some of the guys I know went to the Tetons and also El Capitan years ago now. Yes, guys thought nothing of hitching most anywhere.
Ah ha to your question! My consolidation engines came with a cast metal dummy full size o gauge coupler that is easily exchanged for the dummy scale coupler with one screw. I don’t know why they don’t include one with every steamer. I would think they can be bought as a spare part from an MTH dealer since I heard it is tough or impossible to get them directly from MTH. I can get a photograph when I get home.
Thanks again Mark. I agree in that I don’t understand why MTH has not included workable front couplers. I’ll figure out something. And again, get job on your layout and nice video!
Bob
Bob, Here is a photograph of one. Not much to it.
Attachments
Mark, Perfect. Thanks!
Bob
@Bob Golfs posted:I agree in that I don’t understand why MTH has not included workable front couplers.
Bob
Correct me if I am mistaken, but I believe only the MTH Premier steamers include a regular size add on o gauge coupler that can replace the dummy coupler. MTH Railking and Railking Imperial steamers only have a small dummy coupler on the front that is not usable for lash ups or connecting anything. It would be nice if they included real front couplers on all MTH steamers, but maybe that is an selling incentive to get you to buy Premier. I'm not sure if anyone has ever tried to retrofit an operating front coupler on a Railking steamer.
Michael
Michael, what you say, may be correct. In fact you are probably correct. I only have one RailKing steam engine and it is the only steamer I bought new. I would have to dig out the box and make sure no coupler is in the box. Since my other Premier engines were bought used, if some don’t have a dummy coupler it could be because the previous owner removed it.
